Blueberry Cornmeal Cake
I feel like I have a lot on my plate lately. All very good things, things that I can’t wait to share with you, but nonetheless I feel some days like things are a little out of control. You get in a groove and you get used to it, and when something new comes along it takes a while to get the groove back, you know? To state it plainly, I don’t like change.
There, I said it. Even good change. I get all worked up to the point that I can’t get anything done. And so I haven’t had as much time to do as much recreational baking, baking just for the pure fun of it, as of late and I’ve been missing it terribly.
On Saturday I finally had time get in the kitchen and spend some good quality time alone with my mixer, some good ingredients, and my reliable oven. I pulled out a recipe that’s been on my to-do list for a long time, one I found in a magazine in the “Readers’ Favorite Restaurant Recipes” where readers ask for the recipes from their favorite restaurants. It’s a small section and I usually skim through it quickly to get to the star recipes, the ones with mouth-watering full page photos. But this one stopped me short.
It’s Mother’s Day today and unfortunately my Mom lives far away, but if she were here this is what I would serve her for breakfast. It’s light, flavorful, and delicious in a more subtle way, not in a loud or overly sweet way. The cornmeal gives the cake a heartier texture and the fresh tangy blueberries compliment it nicely.
To state it plainly, I loved it.
Blueberry Cornmeal Cake
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter , at room temperature (1¼ sticks)
- ¾ cup + 3 tablespoons granulated sugar , divided
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup yellow cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ⅓ cup plain yogurt
- 3 cups fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan.
- Cornmeal flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and lemon zest together in a bowl and set aside. Whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla and honey in a bowl and set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons of the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg mixture and mix on medium speed until smooth. Add the flour mixture and beat just to combine. Add the ricotta cheese and yogurt and mix until smooth and uniform.
- Spread half of the batter into the springform pan. Scatter half of the berries over the batter. Spoon remaining batter over in dollops, then spread to cover blueberries. Scatter remaining blueberries over and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar over the top.
- Bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool completely in pan on cooling rack.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired, and serve.
Notes
This looks great
This cake is delicious. Great texture. Well worth making.